Afghans say US assures Taliban office is not recognition
US state department denies that any talks have been scheduled.
Security guards stand outside the new Taliban political office in Doha before the official opening on June 18, 2013. PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON/KABUL:
The United States has given Afghanistan written assurance that the new Taliban office in Qatar does not constitute political recognition for the extremist group, senior Afghan officials told Reuters on Wednesday.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai phoned US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday to express his concerns over the Taliban office, the officials said.
"Before the opening of the office the United States gave us written guarantees and they were violated," one of two officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said.
Broken promises?
Senior Afghan officials accused the United States of breaking written assurances to Kabul that a new Taliban office in Qatar would not be used as a de facto diplomatic mission.
The accusation, by two senior Afghan officials came hours after Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the suspension of negotiations with the United States on a troop pact, and said his government would not join US peace talks with the Taliban, announced on Tuesday, until such talks were led by Afghans.
The United States and the Taliban have said officials from both sides will meet in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Thursday, raising hopes for a negotiated peace in Afghanistan after 12 years of bloody and costly war between American-led forces and the insurgents.
Both Afghan officials repeatedly said the manner in which the Taliban office was opened was "a violation of written principles and assurances provided by the US".
Specifically, they objected to the ceremonial opening of the office -which included a prominent Taliban flag and a banner with the insurgent group's state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - giving the impression that the Taliban had achieved some level of international political recognition.
"The peace process is a critical priority for us, and we will not allow anyone to abuse this process as a roundabout way of achieving goals they failed to achieve on the battlefield," one of the senior government officials said.
Karzai had a phone conversation on Wednesday morning, Kabul time, with US Secretary of State John Kerry in which Karzai "expressed his displeasure" regarding the ceremony, the official
said.
The pair, who have enjoyed a relatively warm relationship, were due to have another call on Wednesday evening. One of the officials also read from a notebook, quoting what he said were the "written principles and assurances" provided by the United States. He said the manner of the opening of the office was a clear violation of those assurances.
''The Taliban office will be called the Taliban office for the purpose of negotiations between the Afghan government's High Peace Council and the authorised representatives of the Taliban'," he read.
"(The Taliban office will) not be referred to as an embassy, as an emirate, a government or a sovereign (state). And (it is not to) be used for any terrorist or violent activities or for funding'."
Reuters was unable to independently verify the assurances that the official said Washington had given. The official declined to state exactly how they had been provided or by whom, except to say they had come in a written form from the US government.
US officials said that in the talks in Doha, the United States would stick to its insistence that the Taliban break ties with Al Qaeda, end violence, and accept the Afghan constitution, including protection for women and minorities.
US denies talks scheduled
The United States on Wednesday denied it scheduled talks with the Taliban, the State Department said after reports that discussions with the Afghan insurgent group could begin this week in Doha.
"Reports of a meeting scheduled are inaccurate," spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters, saying that Washington had "never confirmed" any specific meeting. "We are now in consultations with the Afghan leadership and the High Peace Council on how to move forward."
The United States has given Afghanistan written assurance that the new Taliban office in Qatar does not constitute political recognition for the extremist group, senior Afghan officials told Reuters on Wednesday.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai phoned US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday to express his concerns over the Taliban office, the officials said.
"Before the opening of the office the United States gave us written guarantees and they were violated," one of two officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said.
Broken promises?
Senior Afghan officials accused the United States of breaking written assurances to Kabul that a new Taliban office in Qatar would not be used as a de facto diplomatic mission.
The accusation, by two senior Afghan officials came hours after Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the suspension of negotiations with the United States on a troop pact, and said his government would not join US peace talks with the Taliban, announced on Tuesday, until such talks were led by Afghans.
The United States and the Taliban have said officials from both sides will meet in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Thursday, raising hopes for a negotiated peace in Afghanistan after 12 years of bloody and costly war between American-led forces and the insurgents.
Both Afghan officials repeatedly said the manner in which the Taliban office was opened was "a violation of written principles and assurances provided by the US".
Specifically, they objected to the ceremonial opening of the office -which included a prominent Taliban flag and a banner with the insurgent group's state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - giving the impression that the Taliban had achieved some level of international political recognition.
"The peace process is a critical priority for us, and we will not allow anyone to abuse this process as a roundabout way of achieving goals they failed to achieve on the battlefield," one of the senior government officials said.
Karzai had a phone conversation on Wednesday morning, Kabul time, with US Secretary of State John Kerry in which Karzai "expressed his displeasure" regarding the ceremony, the official
said.
The pair, who have enjoyed a relatively warm relationship, were due to have another call on Wednesday evening. One of the officials also read from a notebook, quoting what he said were the "written principles and assurances" provided by the United States. He said the manner of the opening of the office was a clear violation of those assurances.
''The Taliban office will be called the Taliban office for the purpose of negotiations between the Afghan government's High Peace Council and the authorised representatives of the Taliban'," he read.
"(The Taliban office will) not be referred to as an embassy, as an emirate, a government or a sovereign (state). And (it is not to) be used for any terrorist or violent activities or for funding'."
Reuters was unable to independently verify the assurances that the official said Washington had given. The official declined to state exactly how they had been provided or by whom, except to say they had come in a written form from the US government.
US officials said that in the talks in Doha, the United States would stick to its insistence that the Taliban break ties with Al Qaeda, end violence, and accept the Afghan constitution, including protection for women and minorities.
US denies talks scheduled
The United States on Wednesday denied it scheduled talks with the Taliban, the State Department said after reports that discussions with the Afghan insurgent group could begin this week in Doha.
"Reports of a meeting scheduled are inaccurate," spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters, saying that Washington had "never confirmed" any specific meeting. "We are now in consultations with the Afghan leadership and the High Peace Council on how to move forward."